


The Best Intentions

by SuburbanSun



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Awkward Conversations, M/M, Meet the Family, post-Season 1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:15:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23988736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuburbanSun/pseuds/SuburbanSun
Summary: “So, Carlos— what do you intend to do with TK?” Owen asked.He almost spat out a mouthful of hot tea at the question, and thanked his police training that he hadn’t. Typically, he was on the other end of the interrogation, but he knew one when he saw it.Lone Star Week, Day 1:Family
Relationships: Carlos Reyes & Owen Strand, Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Comments: 22
Kudos: 272
Collections: 9-1-1 Lone Star Week





	The Best Intentions

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [911 Lone Star Week](https://911lonestarweek.tumblr.com/) Day One: Family.

Carlos knocked on the door, then brought up a hand to run through his curls. He’d showered between his shift and driving over to TK’s, and he wasn’t sure his hair had dried quite right. And even though he felt confident in his relationship with TK— they were finally official, after all— he still wanted to look his best for their date nights.

He rocked on his heels as he waited, wondering if maybe he’d gotten the time wrong. TK had said 7 o’clock, hadn’t he?

Finally, the door swung open.

“Oh! Hello, Officer Reyes,” Owen said, a surprised look on his face. 

“Ah— Carlos is fine, you know.” He flexed the fingers of one hand against the other, his lips parting. “Is, um. Is TK around?” 

Owen frowned. “He hasn’t come home from his shift yet.” Then, after a moment spent awkwardly staring at one another: “Oh! Did you want to come inside?” 

Did he want to come inside? He wasn’t entirely sure. He’d spent more time than he would have ever expected with Owen Strand at the hospital as they’d waited for TK to wake up, but that didn’t mean they were ready to start a book club or anything like that. Owen had always been on a shift or asleep when TK had brought Carlos over in the past. Still, what else was he going to do, wait out on the front steps until TK came home?

“Sure,” he said after a beat, following Owen into the foyer. 

For a long moment, they just stood there, staring at each other, before Carlos remembered the manners his mother had taught him. 

“You have a lovely home,” he said, gesturing at his surroundings. 

Owen grinned. “I’m no interior designer, but I know how to shop a Pottery Barn catalog like nobody’s business. Tea?” 

“Hmm?”

“Do you want a cup of tea?” Owen cocked his head to the side. “I figured TK might take a minute; I found this organic blend at a store just outside of town that’s to die for. Would you like to try it?” 

“Ah—” Carlos shrugged with a smile. “Sure, tea sounds great.” 

Owen led him to the kitchen, then busied himself boiling water and getting out the special tea. “Did you work today?”

Carlos nodded. “I got off about an hour ago. Pretty slow— couple of burglaries, a car accident with no fatalities. It was kind of nice.” 

“Slow is good! Slow shifts might not be what we signed up for, but they’re what keeps us going.” Owen opened the fridge door, then leaned back to peer at Carlos around it, his eyebrows raised. “Milk?” 

“Um— sure. A bit.” 

As Owen pulled out a carton of milk and bustled around the kitchen, Carlos took in a deep breath through his nose, then let it out slowly, trying to calm himself. Why was he nervous, anyway? He’d spent a little time with Owen before in both a work and personal capacity, and it wasn’t as if TK was the only guy he’d dated. So what was it about this that set him so off-kilter?

“Here,” Owen said, holding out a steaming mug, which Carlos took with both hands. “Try it.”

Carlos raised his eyebrows, clutching the mug in both hands. Off Owen’s enthusiastic nod, though, he brought it up to his mouth and took a sip. 

“So, Carlos— what do you intend to do with TK?” 

He almost spat out a mouthful of hot tea at the question, and thanked his police training that he hadn’t. Typically, he was on the other end of the interrogation, but he knew one when he saw it. He swallowed, then set his mug down on the countertop beside him.

“Um. Well, sir, I, ah—” He shifted in place. “I intend to be a good boyfriend to your son. If, um. That is, if he thinks of us as boyfriends. Which, I hope that he does, though I’m not totally sure, because I know he’s got a few things in his past that might make him slow to— you know. But, um. Yeah.” Carlos wanted to sink into the Spanish tile floor.

Owen’s eyebrows were raised, his mouth gaping, his tea clutched in front of him. “Oh— well that’s excellent news. But I actually meant— I meant for tonight. What do you intend to do with him tonight on your date?” 

Oh dear. Carlos blinked a few times, then picked up his mug of tea and took a long sip. The hot liquid burned almost as much as his flushed cheeks. “Right. Of course. Um. A taco truck, then the drive in?” 

“Ah. The new James Bond?” 

“Yeah.” As Owen nodded, Carlos wished he could disappear entirely. 

“TK loves those movies,” Owen said, leaning back casually against the countertop as if they were chatting about the weather. “Although—now that you mention it—”

Carlos busied himself with another sip of tea, squirming where he stood pressed up against the counter’s edge. He braced himself for whatever was coming next.

“Were you planning on taking your car? Because you’re welcome to take my truck. I just got a new sound system installed, and it would make the movie sound phenomenal.” Owen smiled pleasantly, and Carlos let out a long exhale, the tension seeping out of him. 

“We were going to take mine, sir, and I think it’ll be fine. My sound system’s not bad.” Carlos looked down at his mug of tea, feeling oddly grateful he’d upgraded the stereo the previous year, mixed with relief that Owen didn’t seem to want to interrogate him after all. “It can get pretty loud, actually.”

Owen nodded blandly, then furrowed his brow. “Speaking of loud— what do you say to trying to keep things a little quieter when you and TK spend the night over here?”

Carlos’ eyes widened, his face hot, his pulse like a freight train in his ears. “I’m sorry— what?” 

Just then, the front door swung open and TK appeared, heaving a huge sigh. “Sorry, I know I’m late, but we got caught up on a call—” Shutting the door behind him, he narrowed his eyes. “Did I miss anything?”

“Nope, you didn’t miss anything at all,” Owen said with a grin. “Tea?” 

TK walked into the kitchen and slid his arm around Carlos’ waist, leaning up to kiss the edge of his jaw. It didn’t completely calm Carlos’ nerves, but it helped a lot. “Nah. I think we have plans, don’t we?”

Carlos smiled at him, trying to block out the memory of Owen’s comment. “Yeah, we do.”

“‘Kay. Lemme go change, and then I’ll be ready,” TK said, giving Carlos’ waist a squeeze and heading for the stairs. “Be right back!”

Carlos eyed Owen with trepidation, and tilting his head to one side, the other man just beamed. 

  
  
  


Twenty minutes later, TK and Carlos headed for his car, their hands loosely held between them.

“Have fun, you two,” came Owen’s voice from the doorway, as Carlos climbed into the car. “Use protection!” 

“C’mon, Dad!” TK complained, making a big show of rolling his eyes as he climbed into the passenger seat. “He means well,” he said apologetically, leaning his head back against the seat. “He didn’t say anything too out there while you guys were alone, did he?”

Carlos gripped the steering wheel with a chuckle, pulling back out of the driveway as he contemplated how to answer. “Nah. Not _too_ out there.”

“That’s good.”

“We just might want to…” Carlos wrinkled his nose. “Stick to overnights at my place when we want to get loud.”

TK’s eyes widened, and his mouth fell open. “Oh, fuck.”

Carlos chuckled. “Yeah, that’s exactly what your dad doesn’t really seem to appreciate.” 

TK rubbed a hand all the way down his face, his brows knitted together. “I’m so sorry, baby.”

_Baby_. Carlos felt warmth blooming inside him at the new term of endearment, though he tried not to show it. “It’s not a big deal. I’m pretty tough. I think I can handle a few awkward comments from my—” He decided to throw caution to the wind. “From my boyfriend’s dad.”

He held his breath for a moment before turning to look at TK, and let it out in one long exhale when he saw the sweet, soft grin on TK’s face. 

“Oh yeah?” TK said, before reaching over to take Carlos’ hand. “Well, your boyfriend thinks you can, too.” 

_Yeah_ , Carlos thought to himself as he pulled into the food truck parking lot, a smile on his face and TK’s fingers still linked with his. _We’re definitely staying at my place tonight._

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Want to hang out on tumblr? I'm [unbreakablejemmasimmons](https://unbreakablejemmasimmons.tumblr.com/) over there!


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